


Eren in the Streets, Levi Walking the Beat

by BtsSugaTrash



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Police, Crimes & Criminals, Dubious Morality, Eren Yeager Has Heterochromia Iridum, Eventual Levi/Eren Yeager, Gangs, Gun Violence, Homelessness, Levi wont just save the day thats too cliche, Light Angst, Living Together, M/M, Murder, Orphan Eren Yeager, Paperwork, Police, References to Depression, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Some Humor, Starting Over, Suicidal Thoughts, Violence, i dont know, ill add more as i go - Freeform, jumps right into it honestly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-07-03 03:04:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15810006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BtsSugaTrash/pseuds/BtsSugaTrash
Summary: Homeless and ready to start anew, Eren gets a reality check in the form of a surprisingly short, grumpy police captain with a really nice looking coat.





	1. 10-22

**Author's Note:**

> So, I will warn you now, this was just an idea I had that I wanted to see if people liked before I ran with it. I'd love to hear feedback on what you think and what you'd like to see if I continue this story!
> 
> Edit: Just to explain if you’re confused, the chapter titles have to do with the “10 Codes” that Police Officers use. For example, this chapter was 10-98 which means a Prison or Jail Break, haha. I just thought it was a creative way to describe the content of each chapter. Thank you QueenTaiyomi for reminding me to explain! :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren meets an officer in the most unusual way.

The air was still and silent, the freezing dryness of it almost suffocating, lungs protesting with anything more then shallow breaths at the biting cold. All sounds were drowned out, muffled by the white snow that covered the ground. Watching as his breath came out in clouds of fogged condensation, he watched with disinterest at the few people who braved the sidewalks through the falling snow. In another world, he’d be at peace right now with the calming setting, watching the world go by.

 

But right now, Eren was freezing, and definitely not at peace. Huffing, ignoring as another cloud appeared in front of his face, he hugged his arms closer to himself, backing himself further into the stone behind him. It wasn’t anything new, Eren had dealt with this cold every year before, but it never got easier. Especially when you were only wearing a thin long sleeve, a pair of ripped jeans, and an old pair of converse long since worn in judging by the holes in them. His coat had been gone for almost a week now, given to that stupid kid with that stupid sad face. Well, he wasn't actually mad at the kid, he just wished he had a back up jacket.

 

This was the way Eren spent his winters every year for the past ten, almost eleven years. Ever since that day, the day he became an orphan. It wasn’t something he particularly was fond of reminiscing of, but it was still a day he wouldn’t forget for the rest of his life. No, never. How could he? He lost both his parents, his mom and dad who he loved, in the same day. He’d only been ten fucking years old.

 

When the police could find no living relatives, they’d tried to put him in a local orphanage, tried to find foster parents for him. But Eren’s always been a pretty mixed up kid, so he did the only thing that made sense. He ran away. Not having anywhere, not having anything, he just starting sleeping in alley’s, surviving on the food he found or bought with the money people would throw at him as they passed, sympathy getting the best of them. Somewhere along the way, that had become his daily life, even now as he was twenty years old. He could get a job maybe. Try to get on his feet and start his life again, but no one ever contacted him after his interview.

 

It was probably because he smelled bad from lack of running water to bathe in. It was probably because he looked like he hadn’t slept in years since his bed was the cold hard ground. It was probably because he was unnaturally skinny from his nutrition not being a top priority. It was probably because he couldn’t look any of them in the eye or speak without stuttering from not socially interacting in so long.

 

It was probably a lot of things.

 

But that was besides the point. The point was he couldn’t find anyone desperate enough to hire him, especially with only having grammar school education and no previous work experience. So without income, he did the only thing he could do to survive another day, no matter how pointless and futile it all seemed. He stole. No, he wasn’t proud of it and no, he didn’t like it. Honestly, he’d contemplated stopping and just letting himself waste away, but Mikasa and Armin wouldn’t be very happy with him. So he stole what he needed and left it at that, living a worthless life where he wasn’t really alive.

 

Armin was his best friend from years ago, before his life had gone to shit, since kindergarten when he had assumed the role of Armin’s protector and friend. After everything that happened, Armin offered to ask his grandfather to take him in, but Eren wasn't having it. Armin lived with grandfather, his parents passing before he could ever remember them, and while they weren’t poor, they weren’t well off either. He never wanted to be a burden to his best friend, to anyone. Now, Armin was attending a college a few hours away, earning his Bachelors. The blonde didn’t agree with Eren’s refusal to accept help, but Eren made it clear that he would stand on his own feet and Armin respected him enough to simply offer his help if asked.

 

Mikasa was a different story. He’d met her one winter when he was maybe eleven or twelve, after he’d been living on the streets for a good year or two. He had been wrapped up in a warm coat and scarf, but still freezing from the cold. That's when he saw her, Mikasa huddled in the middle of the sidewalk, crying. Unsure of what to do but not wanting to simply ignore her like everyone else seemed content to do, he went over and gave her the last thing he had from his mother. His red scarf. She looked up at him with teary eyes, but managed a weak smile. He wouldn't find out until a year later, but that had been the day she had learned her parents were killed in a car accident, forcing her to go live in a local orphanage where Eren would have ended up.

 

Ever since that first day they met, Mikasa would come every day after school and they’d sit and share her saved lunch together, always wearing that red scarf he’d given her that fateful day, even in the hot summers. She made it clear she hated the way he lived and was going to help whether he wanted it or not, as soon as she could stand on her own feet herself. Every time, he struggled to decline the help and had taken to occasionally accepting simply to appease her. Right now she was abroad studying for the semester, vowing to be back in January for the next term, continuing at the city's local college.

 

Honestly, he was grateful for his two friends who felt more like family to him, but he just couldn’t accept their help. He could see the pity in their eyes, see it in the way they acted around him. He knew his life was pathetic, but he wanted to find his way on his own. It had taken him ten years to get to a point where he wanted to change his life, wanted to climb out of the disgusting hole he’d dug for himself, and he wanted to do it on his own. Only a year ago, he’d been perfectly content wasting his life and just wallowing in depression and self pity, but now he wanted to be able to move past this slum. It felt like Eren had been living in slow motion, everyday the same, passing with no purpose, only stealing to survive, surviving for the guilt, rinse and repeat.

 

He was alive, but he wasn’t living.

 

Shivering and clenching his chattering teeth, Eren was pulled from his thoughts and brought back to the frigid reality in front of him, reaching up to reposition the bandage over his right eye. He paused as his fingers failed to respond, a deep freeze long since settled into his bones, rendering his hands almost useless. He really needed something warm and fast otherwise hypothermia, or frostbite at the very least, would catch up to him. Damn, he wished he had a nice jacket…

 

Just as the thought passed through his head, Eren’s eye locked onto a black lump of fabric making its way through the thin crowd, the thickness of the article not going unnoticed. It had big black buttons down the front and a gray fur lined hood that was pulled down. The sleeves rolled down and scrunched at the ends, holding in the heat. Just poking out of the top, he could see that it was not just fur lined inside, but insulated. Fucking insulated. It looked _so warm_. Basically drooling over the coat, Eren finally took notice of the body inside the heavenly piece of outerwear. 

 

The man was short, shorter than Eren at least. He wore a stoic face, almost looking constipated actually. He had undercut black hair that matched not only that luxurious coat, but also his pants and shoes as well. Maybe it was his favourite colour or something. Looking closer, while his frame was mostly covered by bulky clothing, it didn’t look like the man was jacked or anything. Plus, he was shorter, even if he was older.

 

Eren watched as the man turned into a nearby alleyway, one Eren knew very well. It was one of the alley’s on this side of town he hit when he needed to steal. Sighing at his own resolution, Eren pushed off the ground, ignoring the deep cold that had settled into his stiff joints as he walked across the street and stopped at the corner of the alleyway. The man was standing there, cigarette in hand, back towards Eren. Well, why put off to tomorrow what you can do today?

 

With practiced ease and silence, Eren went right up behind the shorter (oh wow, much shorter than he thought) man and threw his arm around the man’s neck, his upper arm pressing against his jugular and holding him there, yet not pressing down as to not restrict his breathing. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt. His other hand that had been clenched in his pocket now poked the object he had been holding onto into the other man’s back.

 

“Give me your jacket.”

 

He had originally went for threatening at first, but it always came out sounding so bizarrely comical that he gave up and went for monotone and uncaring. It always worked. Waiting for the panic he was sure to see, Eren prepared his arm to tense in case the man began to struggle. But that never came. Looking over the stranger’s shoulder in befuddlement, he realised he couldn’t see the man’s face. Was this guy not scared?

 

Eren opened his mouth to repeat his demand when the air was knocked out of his lungs, pain exploding at his solar plexus as his arm loosened around the man’s neck, hunching forward in pain. This guy just elbowed him in the stomach! Before he could even think to take control of the situation, the stranger had grabbed his arm from around his neck and moved behind him, bending his arm to press awkwardly into his back until Eren cried out slightly. A hit suddenly landing on the back of his knees, Eren’s legs buckled and he knelt down, a weight snapping down on his spine at the same time, drawing a hitched gasp from his lips as pain radiated up and down his body. He hardly noticed as he was forced the rest of the way to the ground, his other arm joining the one behind his back.

 

“Nice try fucker.” A deep baritone snorted out from above him. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.” Accompanying his words, Eren heard the distinct noise of metal clanking together before cool steel came to wrap around each of his wrists.

 

“Wha-?”

 

“You have the right to an attorney.”

 

“Wait, what?”

 

“If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court.”

 

“H-Hold on! You can’t-“

 

“With these right in mind, are you still willing to talk with me about the charges against you?”

 

“Am I... being arrested?”

 

“What gave it away?” The stranger, no, cop almost sounded amused under his sharp, monotonous tone. Without waiting for a reply, Eren was suddenly hoisted up, a hiss escaping his lips as both his back and stomach protested in a pained throb. Before he could even open his mouth to protest, he was suddenly pressed face first up against hard, cold stone, his head bouncing off slightly.

 

“Fuck!”

 

Ignoring his shout, the cop patted all the way down his arms, his sides, and legs. Apparently not finding what he was looking for, namely finding not even a wallet on his person, he turned his attention to the Eren.

 

“Where’s the weapon?”

 

Snorting, Eren wished his face wasn’t pressed against the wall so he could smile. Really, it wasn’t funny. Not at all. But that didn’t stop the low bubbles of laughter from threatening to break from his lips. Resorting to clearing his throat, he tried to eye the cop from the corner of his vision, but failed. “I dropped it.” And then the world was spinning. Too quickly, he was spun around, only to be shoved against the stone wall of the alleyway once more. Grunting, he felt his eye opening to look up at his captor, only to stop. He didn’t think he could look him in the eye.

 

Keeping his gaze on the snow covered ground, eye downcast, he simply nodded in recognition when the man pushed him down to sit in the snow against the wall and commanded, “Don’t move.” As he watched those black shoes disappear from his vision, he suddenly felt his earlier mirth disappear, replaced by an empty sort of shame and defeat. Defeat from finally deciding to get his shit together, only to be quite literally beat back down. Shame from having to resort to illegal and harmful tactics to survive. He felt the long forgotten sting of tears behind his eyes as he swallowed past his closing throat. No, he couldn’t _\- wouldn’t_ cry.

 

“Is this some kind of fucking joke, you little shit?”

 

Looking up just enough to see the man’s lower body, he immediately knew he’d found Eren’s “weapon”. Forcing a weak smile to his face, he let his eye slide close as he tilted his face up. “Sorry?” At the man’s indignant “ _tch_ ”, Eren turned his face back to the ground as his eye stayed downcast on the ground.

 

“You just tried to rob me with a _fucking pen_ as your weapon?” He could actually hear how pissed this guy was.

 

Mumbling, almost incoherently, Eren spoke more to himself than providing an explanation to the law enforcer. “What was I suppose to use, a knife?”

 

After a second of silence, Eren heard crunching as the man stepped closer. “Generally, yes, that is what you’d use to forcibly take something from someone. Some even use this thing called a gun. Most find it more effective than a pen.”

 

The footfalls stopped and finally, Eren gathered up enough courage to look up at the cop who stood above him. He was met with a piercing gray gaze and sharp features. The man glared down at him in annoyance, and maybe a bit of confusion. Eren was good at reading people, but this man was hard to get a good read on. For several moments, silence reigned as the two just stood like that, eyeing each other before the cop finally crossed his arms, striding over to lean against the wall that propped Eren up. “What’s your name, brat?”

 

Suddenly nervous, Eren felt all anger, happiness, and all emotions leave him as he came back to himself, gaze drifting back to the ground. “Uhh.. E-Eren… um, sir?” Yeah, he hadn’t had many conversations in the past ten years.

 

He heard the man huff and heard a ruffling of clothes, still unable to look back up at the man’s face. “Eren, huh? Well Eren, you have about two minutes before someone notices I’m not back from my lunch break, so you better explain yourself and fast.”

 

Eren’s visible eye widened at his words. What did that mean? Did that mean he would be taken to the police station after explaining himself, or maybe that he would let him go…? While he understood the need for expediting an explanation, Eren just couldn’t force his mouth to open. He had been doing just fine delivering responses before! Well, of course, robbing someone and then being arrested were two things that greatly distracted him from his crippling social anxiety, but still. Mind reeling, he didn’t notice his breathing picking up pace.

 

“One minute.”

 

His heart was pounding. When did it get so hot? Oh no, it wasn’t hot, he was just sweating. Fuck, he was going to jail. He was going to get arrested and then-

 

Wait. What the fuck was he doing?

 

Taking a deep breath, Eren steeled himself. “Um, I don’t need a-an attorney present or, um, a-anything. I’ll answer your questions and g-go with you without a fight.” Even though he still bore holes in the ground with his gaze, Eren could feel the man raise an eyebrow at him.

 

“You aren’t going to defend yourself?”

 

A sense of strength he didn't know he had taking hold, Eren again raised his head to meet the gaze of the officer. “No, why would I? I’m guilty.” He watched two thin black eyebrows shoot up in surprise before they shot right down, furrowing in contemplation. What was there to contemplate? He’d just said he’d go willingly. And that was true. Eren had always told himself that he knew he was doing the wrong thing by stealing and if he was ever in a place where he'd have to harm someone to escape, or he was caught, he'd give up freely. He knew he was in the wrong. He didn't like what he was doing either.

 

“Stand up.”

 

Nodding, Eren scrambled to his feet. Expecting to be led to the station, he didn’t find anything alarming until he felt the cold metal around his wrists disappear. Face slackened, Eren whipped around to see the officer pocketing his cuffs before pulling out a small packet wrapped in white and red. Unable to do much except stare, he watched as the officer pulled out a cigarette and brought it up to his lips, lighting it and taking a deep drag before finally looking up at him. He smirked.

 

“You’re still here?”

 

Jaw dropping even more, all he could do is stutter out useless gibberish and a confused, “Hah?”

 

Rolling his eyes, the man took another drag. “I’m not arresting you. You’re free to go, and you should probably do so before I change my mind.”

 

“B-But- I d-don’t. Why? I tr-tried to r-rob you!”

 

Staring back with no visible emotion, the man said, “You tried to take my jacket because you were cold while harboring no weapon or ill intent based on your grip. I don’t really see a reason to arrest you for that.”

 

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Eren found his gaze being pulled back to the ground. The man had noticed. Shit. Does that mean he knows he’s-

 

“You need a ride home, brat?”

 

Apparently not. Wanting nothing more than to escape, Eren just shook his head. Grunting, the man put out his cigarette after one last drag and started walking past Eren towards the street. “Oh, and Eren? Cut the bullshit. Steal again and I’ll throw your ass in jail so fast you won’t even have time to stutter out an excuse. And take a fucking shower!”

 

And then the officer was gone, disappeared around the corner. Eren stood there for many more minutes, mind blank, until finally, he felt a ghost of a smile pass over his lips. Shaking his head, his face morphed back into its blank mask as he crossed his arms, the wind picking up and sending a chill through his whole body. Well, there goes his warmth he supposed. Oh well.

 

The good thing about having no one is that very few people would notice if you were gone, even fewer mourning your loss. So if he ended up dying from the cold this winter, that’d be okay. Armin and Mikasa had other people, they’d be sad but they’d move on. He knew they would.

 

Walking back across the street, he resumed his place sitting in the one small area clear of snow, leaning his back against the fountain with a slight wince. It’d broken years ago, now no more than nuisance to anyone who walked in the park, having to walk around the broken stone. But for Eren, it served as his shelter for almost the whole duration he’d been out on the streets. The old stone had cracked from one thing or another, and the constantly running water had worn it down so much that it cracked right through the base. After that, Eren had found it and had pulled out the, surprisingly fucking heavy, piece of stone. That way he’d have some shield from the wind, the overhanging part of the statue acting as a makeshift roof.

 

It was the best he could do, especially since this corner of the park was well hidden now that no one ventured over to the broken fountain. It had thick bushes and trees, but still a nice view of the nearby street that stretched maybe 500 feet from the fountain.

 

Allowing his eyes to slide closed, he contemplated trying to buy a coffee at the nearby cafe with whatever spare change he’d accumulated that day, but given the absent weight in his pocket, he assumed he wouldn’t have nearly enough. Sighing, Eren brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, ignoring the throbbing he felt in his back and stomach. It was going to be a long winter.

* * *

 

Walking into the station, he nodded at the secretary sitting at her desk before trudging into the backroom where the room became alive with noise. Face pointedly blank, he walked through the throngs of bustle and chatter, nodding occasional at some of the officers as they bid him hello.

 

“Levi! Are you late?!” Glaring over at his exuberant companion, Levi snapped out, “Shut it, Hanji.”

 

“They’re right, Captain’s never late.” Levi turned his gaze to his squad, namely Gunther who put on a faux shocked look back at him.

 

“What do you think happened to make him late and not tell us?” Fucking shitty glasses yelled, getting his team all riled up.

 

“Maybe he fell and is embarrassed about it?”

 

“No Petra, too cliche. I bet he was buying drugs or something.”

 

“What?! Captain wouldn’t do something like that!”

 

“Shut up Oluo.”

 

Levi suppressed a smile at his subordinates antics before rolling his eyes and stalking past the group, ignoring Petra’s call for him to wait as he closed the door to his office.

 

“Damn little shits.” Levi mumbled with no malice under his breath. Sighing, he shrugged off his coat and hung it up on one of the racks behind the door. Making his way over, he took a seat in his office chair and leaned back slightly, mind drifting to his encounter with that brat in the alleyway. What had he been thinking?

 

He didn’t even know anything about the kid except that he’d attempted to rob him, yet he set him free with a warning? Told him not to do it again? Yeah, right.

 

But there was just something in him when he looked at the brat that felt so familiar. That shitty brat with brown greasy hair and only one bright green eye showing, a bandage covering the matching one. That unclean shit with only a long sleeve on in sub zero weather. What fucking idiot leaves the house without a coat?

 

Although, what idiot decides that trying to steal the coat off of someone’s back is a good idea? Maybe his parents can’t afford a coat for him. Maybe he lives on his own and can’t afford one himself. Maybe-

 

Maybe he’s thinking about it a little too much. It happened, it’s over, and he’ll never see the little shit again. Hands raking over his face, he sighed once again and leaned forward until his elbows came to rest on the wooden desk top. Glancing down with a frown, Levi couldn't help but notice the new papers sitting on his desk. Reaching over, he picked up his desk phone and pushed in the four digit extension, listening to the phone ring softly in his ear before he heard the crisp voice on the other end.

 

“Commander Erwin.” Ever a friendly man, not all business by any means.

 

“Eyebrows. Do you need these forms by the end of today?” Yes, Erwin was his one and only boss at the station with him being second in command, but that didn’t mean he had to suck up to the blonde. Yeah fucking right.

 

“Ah, Levi.” Damn, his ‘I know everything’ high and mighty voice really pissed Levi off on a regular day, but right about now it made him want to stab the man in the throat. “Yes actually. I have a meeting with the Commissioner in the morning and I will need them. I wasn’t able to get to them, so as my right hand man, I passed them off to you to complete.”

 

Asshole. “Asshole.”

 

Levi never claimed to have a filter.

 

Deep laughter filled his ear and he felt tempted to hang up. “Perks of the job, right?” And then he really did hang up. Slamming the phone down on the receiver, Levi massaged his temples and attempted to fight off a headache. Trying to get his head on straight, Levi corrected his posture and grabbed the thick stack of papers from the corner of his desk before reaching for a pen. Might as well do something productive.

 

Only halfway down the first page, Levi groaned in an anguished kind of mental pain. It was going to be a long day.

 


	2. 10-32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren tries, Eren fails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your comments! I really wasn't expecting many to even read this story, so a big thank you for all that did and left comments and kudos and such! So fair warning, this gets serious real fast. There is not slow build into the action. It will be a lot of action to be honest, so hold onto your hats! Also, WARNING! BAD THOUGHTS AHEAD! There's mention of thoughts of self harm, so be warned.

He wished he could say he did what that officer had told him to, wished he could say he kept his word to himself and stayed content with just freezing to death instead of stealing. He really wished he could. Maybe then he wouldn’t be in this situation. But he couldn’t.

 

Those first three days after the incident with that Officer, Eren had been so determined not to steal anything and to start turning his life around. He’d gone out and applied to every job position he qualified for (only three), and even heard back from two of them to come in for interviews.

 

That good string of events came to its glorious end with a shove out the door and a shout to, “get lost you disgusting mutt” at his second interview. After that, he tried to ask around at the small time shops around town and see if they needed any remedial work done under the table, but to no avail. He’d only succeeded in becoming even more infamously hated in the city of Trost. After four days of no stealing and only living on what he could find in the streets, he’d found himself even more starved and cold than usual. Frustrated, hungry, and chilled to the bone, Eren spotted a figure in one of his frequented alleys and acted.

 

Honestly, if he’d had a clearer head, if he’d not been so survival driven, he might have noticed something was wrong sooner, but that wasn’t the case. He performed his usual routine, grabbing his victim lightly around their neck and shoving the tip of a pen against their back. He’d demanded for the man to empty his pockets, waiting for the stuttering and begging that was sure to come, sending him on one hell of a guilt trip.

 

That’s what was suppose to happen. It was suppose to go just like every other time. It was suppose to be one last extortion to get him by until he could land a job. It was supposed to be easy.

 

At least, that’s what Eren was thinking as he stared down the barrel of a Desert Eagle aimed between his eyes.

 

Hands raising in a helpless gesture, Eren took half a step backwards before the man growled out, “Don’t you fucking move or I’ll kill you where you stand.” Freezing, Eren could only stare wide eyed in absolute shock, heart pounding in his chest. How the fuck did he get himself in this situation? He couldn’t even form a coherent thought, knowing all it took was one flick of a finger for a bullet to lodge in his head. The man could even claim self defence.

 

He did this to himself, didn’t he?

 

“You picked the wrong target, bitch.” The man snarled with a smirk as he closed the distance between them, standing only an arms length away as the tip of the gun was pressed right against the center of Eren’s forehead. He couldn’t even hold in the pathetic whimper that escaped him, drawing a gurgled chuckle from the man. “Don’t fuck with the Titans, shitface. Well, I suppose you won’t have the time to learn your lesson with your brains splattered in a fucking alleyway, now will you?”

 

Eyes widening further at his words, he felt his mouth open uselessly in an attempt to explain, to beg, do anything to stop the man, but no words came out. He just watched helplessly silent as the man sneered and shoved him back against the cold stone behind him, all air leaving his lungs as he stared straight at the man’s narrowed brown eyes that danced with amusement.

 

This was it. This was where he finally died. He should feel regret for everything he didn’t do. He should feel sadness for the people he was leaving behind. He should feel guilty for hurting Armin and Mikasa with his death. He should feel terrified for the uncertainty of what came after death.

 

But right now, he felt nothing.

 

His breath left him in one even puff, his mouth closing in its stuttering. His fear was gone. He didn’t feel… anything. It was as if he were an empty shell. Now, looking back at the gun that dug into his skull, he knew that he’d been ready to die for awhile. No, not just ready to die. He’d already died ten years ago right beside his parents. Since then, he’d been surviving, but not living. This would just make it official really.

 

Face blank, he knew he had accepted this fate, maybe even hoped for this end. It hurt to survive with all this pain, having the life he did out on the streets. And that’s when he came to the conclusion that he’d known for years, yet had never fully understood, never really recognised. He had been scared of what would happen if he truly realised it, really thought about what that persistent underlying feeling was.

 

Because it was then that Eren realised that he wanted to die.

 

That should have been alarming. He should have been scared to know that he didn’t want to live anymore, but that wasn’t the case. He felt calm. Accepting. He felt a sense of clarity he hadn’t felt in so many years.

 

“Goodnight you fucking brat.”

 

And at that, he inexplicably thought of the officer that had given him a bruised back and stomach. A man he’d only exchanged a brief encounter with, yet apparently made enough of an impact that Eren would think of him in his final seconds. In the end, he’d failed that man.

 

_“Steal again and I’ll throw your ass in jail so fast you won’t even have time to stutter out an excuse.”_

 

He’d tried. He tried to get a job and change his life, but fate had it out for him. Eren must have done some really shitty things in a past life to have such bad karma. Now because he failed the man, he was going to die. He wouldn’t get to apologise to the man. He wouldn’t get to try again and prove to the man that he wasn’t some lowly criminal. He wouldn’t ever know the man’s name.

 

_“You need a ride home, brat?”_

 

Something inside him suddenly sparked. Somewhere deep inside, he felt a voice calling out that he didn’t want to die, that he wanted to keep living. That small voice, while nothing more than a passing whisper, was strong. He opened his mouth, not even sure what he was going to say, but wanting to try. Try to save himself, even if he wasn’t sure he really wanted to.

 

But it was too late. Wide eyes watched as the smiling man squeezed his index finger on the trigger, no hesitation in his movements. Clenching his eye shut, Eren could only hope it wouldn’t be too painful when the bullet burst through and shattered his skull. The resounding gunshot was deathly deafening when up so close, resounding loudly in the small alley. A single drowned out word fell from Eren’s lips in his final seconds.

 

“No…”

 

And he waited for death. And waited. Eyebrows scrunching together in confusion, Eren allowed his eye to slide open just a crack, light pouring so bright it was blinding. Opening his eye wider, he found himself looking right up at the blinding gray sky of winter, snow lightly falling and dancing down to the ground.

 

He wasn’t dead.

 

He wasn’t dead?

 

Belated panic rising, Eren rolled his head to the side, only now realising he had somehow ended up sprawled out on the snow covered ground on his back. He was met with the sight of his would be killer pinned to the wall, hands behind his back in a pair of cuffs, and a familiar jacket covering a familiar frame.

 

“Officer?” Eren attempted to mumble out, but no sound came out. Or no, actually, he just couldn’t hear anything. The world was strangely quiet around him, a loud ringing sounding in his ears. What just happened? Heart pounding, fear clawed its way to the surface as he recalled everything that had happened only a few short minutes ago. He’d wanted to be shot. Wanted to die. Fuck. _Fuck!_

 

Breaths coming out shorter, he felt the familiar dread bubbling in his chest as he pushed himself into a sitting position, pulling his knees up and throwing himself forwards. Orthopneic position. Helps to breath easier.

 

Eren wasn’t sure exactly how long he sat in the snow, panic attack reigning with his head tucked between his knees, but when he started to come to, he realised the ringing had quieted, the background noise of the city beginning to filter back in. He also noticed the hand that rested on his back, perhaps in an attempt of comfort, but a bit too awkward to really be considered as such.

 

Opening his eye that he only just realised was closed, he looked over to see that nameless officer kneeling beside him, those same intense eyes boring back into his. He didn’t say anything or really do anything, he just knelt there. It seemed stupid, but the silent presence was a welcome one, providing a calming effect as the officer grounded him to reality. Focusing on evening his breathing, he sat there in the snow, staring into a pair of silvery blue eyes that he could have sworn were gray from further away.

 

Despite his disorientation from the past few minutes, the reality of the situation came crashing down on Eren. Eyes widened, he frantically scanned the now empty alleyway. “Where did-“

 

“He’s handcuffed in my car.”

 

Eye almost magnetically drawn back to the other man’s, Eren finally began gathering his wits. “Oh.”

 

As the man pulled his hand away from where it had been resting on his back, Eren couldn’t help but to miss its warmth with the biting cold suddenly coming at him with vengeance. Shivering, his mind running a million miles an hour, he found the silence too much. He opened his mouth to ask about what had just happened when the officer spoke up first.

 

“You alright, brat?” The hint of concern in the officers voice was a shock. He was used to the annoyed, disinterested, and even sometimes amused tone in their few encounters, but he didn’t peg the man for someone who would display concern for anyone so flippantly.

 

“I tried to rob him.” The words left his mouth before he even realised what he was saying. “I’m sorry.”

 

Silence was a weird thing. Sometimes it can be peaceful, healing even. It can be an escape and a breath of fresh air, a void of sound in a forgiving way. Sometimes it can be comfortable. A show of trust and ease. It can be a sign you can be in another presence without having to say anything. Sometimes it can be scary. It can be lonely and depressing, whispering in your ear just how alone you really are.

 

And then sometimes, it can be suffocating. It can weigh down on you and wrap around your very being. It can drive you crazy and make you want to cry. It can break you. That was the kind of silence that stretched on after his declaration. It was only a few brief seconds, but the tension made those seconds appear as hours. And when the silence finally shattered with the officers monotone voice, what he said sealed Eren’s fate.

 

“I tried to warn you kid. You have the right to remain silent.”

 

As the man read off his Miranda Rights, Eren tuned him out, not exactly noticing when he was pulled off the ground and cuffed, but a whisper in his mind realising how gentle the officer was being compared to their last encounter. Eren’s mind was blank as he was lead out of the alleyway, brought into view of a black car parked on the side of the road, his attacker staring back at him from inside the back seat. Eren only watched, face blank as the man sneered at him as another car pulled up. Eren was lead to the patrol car, eyes downcast as the officer shoved him down into the backseat, the car door slamming shut.

 

Those few minutes flew by in a jumble of confusion, mixed up thoughts and feelings, and adrenaline still pumping through his veins. The next thing he knew, two officers in uniform had taken seats in the front of the car as they drove away from the alleyway. A single thought breaking through the haze of his mind, Eren brought his gaze up to look back out in search of a black head of hair. Silver eyes met his one visible eye as he drove away. The officer was watching him leave.

 

Eren had no idea what to feel. He’d almost died. He’d wanted to die. He failed that officer. That officer was just some nameless man. He’d just been arrested. He knew he deserved it. He felt lost, too adrenaline high and confused to really think straight.

 

Well, he supposed he’d have plenty of time to think in holding.

 

* * *

 

He watched as the patrol car turned a corner, disappearing out of sight. He warned the brat, gave him a second chance. He tried. But for some reason, that did nothing to appease the uncomfortable guilt he felt rising in the pit of his stomach. Turning away from where he still stared at the street corner, Levi scoffed to himself. What reason did he have to feel guilty? Not only did he save the kid from an angry criminal with a gun, but he specifically told the brat that he’d be arrested the next time he stole. But of course, that fucking idiot just had to get his kicks from robbing people.

 

_“I tried to rob him. I’m sorry.”_

 

Well the brat was honest, he’d give him that. But now that fucker could claim self defence. Although, he thought, they might be able to get him for not having a carrying license for the weapon. He’d have to look into it. If he really dug, he might be able to unearth some kind of-

 

“Captain, are you even listening?”

 

Gaze drifting to the officer in front of him, he regarded Petra with his usual stoicism. “Yes."

 

Sighing, Petra shook her head slightly before apparently repeating herself. "I've got our victim or potential perp moved into my patrol car."

 

Nodding, Levi contemplated slightly before frowning. "What are you still doing here? You’re lead on this case, you have a report due on my desk by tonight.” Turning and stalking away from a stuttering Petra, he overheard her, “Y-yes Captain.” Before he made it back to his car. It wasn't that he was being mean, not at all. That's just how he always was. Getting into his black Crown Vic, Levi heaved a heavy sigh before turning the key in the ignition. It wasn’t anything like his black Mercedes he’d bought, and certainly not as clean, but it was a company car so he couldn’t complain too much.

 

His thoughts drifted as he raced down the road back towards the station. Why was he so invested in this kid? He was a stranger, just some spoiled fucking brat who got a rush off of stealing from people in back alley’s. That kid, he didn’t deserve Levi’s concern. So why? There was just something about the look in that brat’s face, something about the look in his eye that sparked something in him. It was such a familiar, nostalgic image yet he couldn’t place it.

 

This brat was driving him crazy.

 

Well, he’d just have to distance himself from it all. While he was Petra’s supervisor, he wasn’t needed to be involved in this case, so he could stand back. Let his team handle this. Honestly, he’d been in the brat’s presence for a total of maybe ten minutes, exchanged probably just as many words, but the little shit had managed to worm his way under Levi's skin. A jagged, cold hearted police Captain like himself.

 

The kid was fucking annoying him.

 

Pulling into his reserved parking space, he managed to only slightly slam the car door shut as he stepped out into the cold, snow crunching under his boots as he made his way into the station. He’d have witness reports to fill out among other paperwork for the incident, so he made his way straight to his office. Although, he supposed that’s what he usually did. But of course, today just had it out for him because as soon as he stepped through the double doors to the station, the secretary not so kindly told him that the Commander wanted to see him. Great. Fantastic.

 

Not bothering to knock, Levi simply marched over to his superiors door and barged right in. “What do you want now?”

 

Raising one of his hideously large eyebrow’s, Erwin spared him a concealed exasperated look. “Good afternoon to you too, Levi.” It was always the same banter between them, having been close friends since, well, before he joined the Academy.

 

“I don’t have time for this today, so spit it out.”

 

Folding his hands in front of his face as he leaned forward, Levi immediately knew that as a gesture of severity. Sobering up, Levi stood to attention as the man spoke. “That man you brought in, the victim. While it’s not yet confirmed, he’s believed to be a member of the Titans.”

 

Eyes narrowing, Levi felt his shoulder tense. “What?”

 

“And we have to let him walk.”

 

“…What?” Levi growled through clenched teeth as he rounded on Erwin’s desk, slamming his hands down on the wooden top and leaned forward slightly. “We’ve been trying to get those fuckers in here for months, and you’re just letting him go?” Levi was as close to yelling as he would get, his cold words dripping with malice as he glared at fucking Eyebrows.

 

In retaliation, the collected man stared back. “Do you think I don’t realise that? We have nothing to hold him here. We could hold him for 24 hours, but it wouldn't do any good. He won't talk and we have no charges against him. He had his license, we found no past criminal history except one arrest for possession of marijuana, and he was technically acting in self defence. He’s clean. We have to let him walk.”

 

Letting out a frustrated “ _tch!”_ , Levi took a step back and crossed his arms. “Fuck.”

 

Hearing the blonde sigh, Levi spared him a look as the man began, “We’re just gonna have to catch them in the act, continue as we have before.”

 

“Perfect.” Levi stalked towards the door as he grumbled out, “Great fucking talk.”

 

But again, today seemed to have it out for him as he heard the Commander call out for him before he could make it to the door. “One more thing.”

 

Sighing loudly, he spun around with a sharp, “What now?”

 

“That kid. He won't be going any further than holding. He’s got a great lawyer, so he’ll be released probably by tomorrow morning, and I can’t imagine the Titans will be very happy to know that they were almost caught red handed.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed as he regarded the Commander. “You think they’ll target him?”

 

Shrugging, he leaned back in his chair. “I’m just saying that kid might be our best bet at catching the gang in action.”

 

Eyes widening, Levi couldn’t believe his ears. “Are you telling me to use the brat as bait for one of the most violent gangs we've seen in decades?”

 

Stone cold eyes betrayed no emotion as they bore back into his gaze. Levi suppressed a shiver and turned back to the door before walking out, closing the door behind him. He didn’t need a response. He wouldn’t get one anyways. Sometimes, that man could be an emotionless machine, a man who believes the most evil of means will be justified by the end.

 

Finding his way back to his office, he sat down to find the blank forms already sitting in his ‘In’ box. Sighing, he resigned himself to his work, the past hour needing to get the fuck out of his head. Reaching over and settling in for the long run, he picked up his pen and got to work, allowing his mind to clear of anything except completing his work, neatly and efficiently. He couldn’t stand procrastinators or slackers. Hours past every day just like this, day in and day out. Crime shows always failed to mention the immense amount of paperwork that comes along with crime fighting.

 

The next time he looked up at the clock, it was already four o’clock. His shift ended in an hour. Stretching his arms above his head, he grabbed the stack of completed papers and neatly filed them away in his ‘Out’ box on the other side of his desk. He only had a few forms left, and they were all either due at the end of the week or later. Standing up slowly, he flexed his right hand a few times, shaking out the stiffness of holding a pen for hours as he left his office. He knew what he had to do, and he couldn’t put it off any longer.

 

Walking down the back set of stairs, he made his way to the lower level, swiping his badge in front of the scanner to the locked door that read ‘Holding Cells’. Rounding the corner, he was met with four identical huge metal doors, bullet proof glass making up almost half of the door and wall that showcased the small rooms. From where he stood, he could see three empty cells, the first on the right showing a kid with brown hair in the small room.

 

The cells were only about 40 square feet, enough for someone to lay down each way, but no more. There was a metal bench protruding from the wall taking up almost the whole length of the back wall, leaving even less room. All the walls were painted grey cement bricks except the one wall mainly made up of solid bulletproof glass. It let you see the detainee, and let them see you. That’s exactly why he could see that brat, Eren, huddled up in the corner on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest. His forehead rested on his knees, face hidden by his mop of disgustingly greasy brown hair. Seriously, did this kid know what a shower was?

 

“You look like someone killed your dog.”

 

He watched with internal amusement as the brat jumped, head whipping up as that one green eye met- oh.

 

Oh.

 

Oh wow.

 

What looked back at him was not a green left eye and a bandaged right eye, but two wide and uncovered eyes. And fuck, they were some fucking eyes. There was his deep green left eye, but even from this far away Levi could immediately see the contrasting gold hue of his now visible right eye. Unable to stop himself, he found his feet taking him closer and had to stop as he finally got close enough to fully see the mismatched pair of eyes that stared back at him.

 

The deep, bright green iris bore back at him with a serious intensity, raw as the fucking earth that it imitated with its colour. It was such a natural colour that sated him with its calming shade. And the new unveiled eye, shimmering bright with tones of yellow and gold. Such unusual and uniqueness with its light colour as if it reflected the sun. It was as if it portrayed life, energy, passion. It was almost too much for Levi to look at, and he was still a few feet away from those piercing eyes. 

 

Eren’s eyes were fucking strikingly beautiful. He wouldn’t and couldn’t deny that much.

 

“Heterochromia iridum.” Now it was Levi’s turned to jump. As clique as it was, he was lost in the brats eyes. Fuck, he was turning into a goddamn school girl. “I figured you’d probably ask. Everyone does when they see my eyes.” He watched the brat shrug before leaning his head back against the cement wall.  

 

“Right, well brat,” Probably best not to dwell on those eyes, they were too fucking much. “As it turns out, you’re getting interrogated again. By me. Get the fuck up.”

 


	3. 10-98

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's lawyer appears, and another piece of Eren's past is discovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this all today since I had a day off, and it took me fucking hours. There may be some mistakes, but I promise to go back and fix them! Oh, and be prepared for a lot of violence in this chapter... I'm sorry Eren.

In hindsight, it should have struck him as odd the second that brat tried to rob him. The shits less than stellar clothes, the bags under his eyes, the fact that he didn’t even use a fucking weapon. It should have connected sooner. Levi was the god damn Captain of this station, and he didn’t even notice such glaringly obvious signs, fuck.

 

But how could he deduce that such a young kid could be homeless? Well, Levi actually should have been the sole person to notice given his own past out on the streets, but it went right over his head. Looking down at the file in his hands, his eyes scanned over the information gathered from Petra’s interrogation with the brat.

 

_Name: Eren Jaeger_

 

_DOB: March 30_

 

_Age: 20_

 

_Mother: Carla Jaeger- Deceased (See attached file)_

 

_Father: Grisha Jaeger- Deceased (See attached file)_

 

_Residence: N/A_

 

_Occupation and Employer: N/A_

 

_…_

 

He scanned over the transcription of the actual interrogation between the brat andPetra, knowing exactly what he wanted to look at. Almost hesitantly, he flipped a few pages and found the attached files. Now, Levi Ackerman is not a man to show emotion, having an unspoken vow with himself to remain stoic even in the most trying events. It was easier that way, something he developed all those years ago. But Levi couldn’t stop the widening of his eyes as they scanned down the file containing the death of Eren Jaeger’s parents.

 

_Responding office arrived on scene to find the bodies of Grisha and Carla Jaeger_

_deceased inside the Jaeger family home in Shinganshina. Their surviving son,_

_Eren Jaeger, sat holding his mother on the floor. Taking the boy in for interrogation,_

_we gathered the following information of the murder of Carla Jaeger and Grisha Jaeger._

 

_Upon arriving home after school, Eren Jaeger, age ten, walked into his home to_

_find his mother already deceased on the floor in a pool of blood, later noted_

_to be stabbed to death seventeen times in the stomach. Eren ran over to call 911 and_

_found his father, Grisha Jaeger, sitting in the living room clutching a bloodied knife,_

_later noted to be the weapon used in Carla Jaeger’s murder. Upon questioning his_

_father, Grisha confessed to the murder of his wife of twelve years, Carla Jaeger._

 

_Unable to suffer the guilt, Eren states that he watched as his father stabbed himself_

_in his own neck, sufficiently ending his own life. Waiting for the police to arrive,_

_Eren Jaeger said his final goodbyes to his mother. An open investigation is_

_pending concerning the validity of the account, but no inconsistencies have yet_

_to be raised. The responding officer…._

 

Levi drew his eyes away from the file, closing the manilla folder shut and heaving a heavy sigh. The brat he assumed was just some spoiled rich kid thinking he could get his kicks by stealing from people, feeling invincible, was anything but. His parents were both dead, a scene he had to watch unfold, somehow ending up homeless, not having a job, and having to resort to stealing just to survive. It was so obvious now. That brat didn’t want to steal, didn’t want anyone getting hurt if his lack of a weapon was anything to go by. The kid just had a fucked up, shitty life and was trying to survive.

 

That brat. He’d tried to steal not Levi’s money, not his phone, but his jacket. His fucking jacket because the kid was cold and couldn’t afford one. Allowing a hand the trail down his face wearily, Levi heard yet another sigh escape his lips. Fuck. Now he just didn’t know what to do. Looking up at the one way mirror, he watched as the kid fidgeted in his seat at the interrogation table. He’d brought the kid in to interrogate him on the man he tried to rob, to see if he’d revealed any information regarding the Titans, but he had almost completely forgot that an interrogation had already transpired. He left to go get the file from Petra, dismissing her questioning on why he needed it, and got completely distracted by the immense amount of information he learned from said file.

 

That was the look in that kid’s eye he’d seen. It was the same look that Levi himself had years ago, back when he had to fight to survive on the unforgiving streets in the Underground, the ghetto area of the city of Trost. But even so, Levi had a job to do. Cursing himself, he steeled himself in and marched forward, entering the room as the brat picked his head up to look at him. With those fucking incredible eyes. Damn him.

 

Remaining composed, Levi stalked over to the equally uncomfortable chair opposite the detainee. Taking his seat, he crossed both his arms and legs after setting the manilla folder down on the steel table, calculating eyes resting on the brunets face. He left his revelation at the door when he’d walked in. He was in work mode. The brat looked back at him, meeting his gaze with something akin to worry, maybe fear. Good.

 

“Tell me exactly what happened.” Straight to the point. No beating around the bush.

 

Levi watched as the kid fidgeted and remained silent for a few seconds. Raising an eyebrow, he snapped out with only minimal venom lacing his words. “What, do you have to shit or something? I expect a response when I tell you to do something.” His silver eyes narrowed as he watched as the brat’s face flushed at his accusation. Stupid kid.

 

“N-no! I- uh, you mean- um. Well, I…”

 

God damn, this kid seriously needed to get ahold of himself. Letting out an annoyed _tch,_ Levi dropped his glare. Obviously his usual tactics wouldn’t work. “Look kid, I’m just here to get the full story from you, I’m not going to eat you. You’re safe here.” Whoa, what the fuck compelled him to say that? But before he could question himself further, he watched as the brat visibly softened, his tense shoulders slightly slumping, his face losing some of its guard.

 

“R-right. Well, I was, um, I tried to get that guy to, well, I tried to rob him. B-but then he was- he turned around a-and put the- he pulled out a gun and told me that I uh, that I picked the wrong target. I- I didn’t-“

 

“Did he say anything else?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Levi rolled his eyes. “Clean out your ears brat. The man you tried to rob, did he say anything else?”

 

Frowning the kid seemed to hesitate at the question, but eventually seemed to think back. Suddenly, the kids eyebrows shot up with an, “Oh! Y-yeah actually, I think he did.” Frowning again, the brat locked eyes with the table in front of him. “He said something along the lines of, uh, not l-living long enough to learn not to mess with the Titans, whatever that means.”

 

Bingo.

 

“Did he say anything else about the Titans?”

 

“Huh? N-no… I don’t- I don’t think so. Why?”

 

And that was when the door clicked open, a tall man walked in with a presence that demanded respect. He was an old fart, bald with a gray mustache that made him look insanely weird. Levi immediately didn’t like him. He couldn’t say the same for the kid sitting across from him though. The brat immediately perked up, smiling over at the man and greeting him. “Pixis!”

 

The old man spared the kid a smile before turning to Levi, a commanding glint in his eyes. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to break up your party. Eren has been released and his charges have been dropped.”

 

His silver eyes narrowed in controlled anger at the man in front of him. “Excuse me?”

 

But the old man just smiled. “That man retracted his statement. He says Eren never tried to rob him.”

 

Standing, Levi kept his arms crossed as the tense air around him screamed rage. “Eren has already confessed.”

 

One gray eyebrow raised as he let out an, “Oh?” The old geezer chuckled before walking over and pulling Eren up out of his seat. “I think the Commander would disagree. You’re a good Captain, Ackerman, let’s not let this get in the way of that. Have a good day.”

 

With that, the old fart turned and left, Eren in tow. Levi made to follow them, to bark out an order to halt the man when a hand landed on his shoulder. Looking up with blazing eyes, he was met with Erwin’s stern gaze, the blonde shaking his head at him. Levi wanted to punch him in his fucking face, wanted to scream at him that the old man just took a criminal right from his interrogation room, wanted to break away and arrest the guy himself. Instead, he just shook off the man’s hand and glared up at him. “Explanation. Now.”

 

He expected a witty, thought out response that did everything except give him an answer, but Eyebrows just nodded and began the walk to his office. Following, Levi couldn’t help but to feel confused over what just happened. Yes, Erwin said that the brat had a good lawyer and would probably be out by the morning, but he wasn’t expecting this. Him being dropped of all charges, the victim singing his innocence, and Eren just leaving in the middle of an interrogation not even 24 hours after being detained? What the fuck.

 

But as his steps towards the office continued, the distance growing between him and the interrogation room, Levi began to lose his anger as it was replaced by something else. Fuck, what was wrong with him? Why was he glad that the brat was dropped of his charges? Despite the kids past, he was still a criminal _now_. He has probably robbed countless people, held them at, well, at pen point…

 

_But you used to be a criminal too. It’s only because someone gave you a second chance that you’re here today._

 

Levi put a lid on the voice in his head that whispered to him. But the damage was done. It was true. If Eyebrows hadn’t given him that second chance, he’d probably either be in jail or dead. It’s not like he’d ever wanted to do the things he did back then, just like Eren didn’t want to now. That kid, after everything he’d been through, deserved a second chance.

 

God, he was getting soft.

 

As he followed Erwin into his office, he closed the door, turning to face the man who wore a grave expression as he sat down in his chair behind the desk. Honestly, Levi still hated that old geezer and his stupid fucking authoritative aura, but he had already resigned himself to allowing Eren to walk. “So?” 

 

A few beats of silence past before he heard Erwin lean back in his chair as he regarded Levi. “That was Eren’s lawyer, Dot Pixis.”

 

Why did that name sound familiar? Levi hadn’t even finished the thought when it hit him. “Fuck.”

 

Nodding, Erwin continued. “Yes. He was the former Commander in Chief of over twenty years before Darius Zackly took over. After retiring from his position, he became one of the most influential lawyers ever seen, knowing every in and out of the legal system. He is not a man who should be messed with. He’s not a man _you_ will mess with.” Eyebrows shot him that annoying superior look that he always wore when he was being serious. Fuck him.

 

“How the fuck did he end up as Eren’s lawyer? He’s a street rat, he can’t afford a lawyer.”

 

Leaning forward, Erwin assumed his commanding position with his hands intertwined in front of his face, elbows resting on his desk. “How indeed.”

 

Huffing, Levi crossed his arms as he leaned against the closed door. “We lost our bait.”

 

“Oh?” Erwin raised one of his notorious eyebrows before continuing. “I’m not so sure about that.” Narrowing his eyes at his friend, Levi took in the ghost of a smirk on the man’s face before Erwin began explaining. “It’s like you said, Eren lives on the streets. You should be able to find him easily enough, you have before.”

 

Frowning, Levi glared. “I didn’t _find_ the brat. I just happened to pass the alleyway when I saw a kid getting a gun shoved in his face. And besides, even if I do find him, what the fuck am I supposed to do then?”

 

Levi hated the way the man smiled back at him.

 

* * *

 

 

Eren followed at the older mans heels as he was lead into a small cafe not far from the police station he’d just left. “What are you doing here Pixis?” Honestly, he had no idea. He hadn’t seen the man in almost two years, and he certainly didn’t call him. His one phone call had gone to nobody. He had no one to call. Maybe he could have called Armin or Mikasa, but he didn’t want to worry either of them. It was pointless anyways. He’d confessed, he was fine with going to jail to serve his time.

 

So what was Pixis doing here?

 

Said man chuckled as he took a seat at a booth near the back. He sat silently as the waitress appeared to take their orders, Pixis claiming he was paying when Eren said he was getting nothing. When he still protested, Pixis just ordered for him. As the woman left, Pixis finally directed his watchful gaze onto Eren.

 

“I believe I owed you a favour. After all, you’re the only reason I was able to get my team out of there alive.”

 

Eren turned his eyes to the table at the memory. It wasn’t a particularly fond memory, but really, it wasn’t essentially a bad one either. He could still remember everything clearly, even though it happened three years ago. As a homeless, unassuming teenager, Eren has always overheard more than he was supposed to. Always ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s how, when he was looking for a better place to sleep one winter, he stumbled upon an abandoned parking garage in the Underground. Not ideal, especially with the strong smell of urine emanating from the place, but it somewhat protected him from the falling snow and biting chill of the wind.

 

But he’d been in the Underground, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise when he’d managed to accidentally stumble upon a drug deal. And not just any drug deal. There were fucking stacks of white powder all wrapped up, thousands of dollars or more worth. He was lucky enough to not been seen as he hid behind a giant cement pillar that stood maybe 50 feet away from the scene. He listened in as the men laughed and chatted, the deal seemingly going as planned.

 

Until he heard the distinct sound of a gun being cocked. “Kitz Weilman, you’re under arrest for-“

 

“Not so fast officers.”

 

Eren couldn’t help but to spare a glance at the scene he heard unfolding. He saw three apparent officers, two men and a woman, pointing weapons at the three men who were apparently Kitz Weilman and his two men. But looking farther, he could see three more men approaching the scene, pointing their guns at the officers. That didn’t look good.

 

As he listened to the officers being forced to lay down their weapons, Eren decided to act. His life was worth less than these officers. He had to do something. Glancing around quickly, he found exactly what he was looking for as a semblance of a plan formed in his head. The next few minutes passed by in a blur. He remembered sneaking up behind one of the men with a gun. He remembered bringing that metal bat he found right over his head with a sickening crack. He remembered the other man turning to him, but too late. He’d already started to swing that bat that shattered the man’s knee, bringing him to the ground with a cry before Eren planted a foot onto the man’s neck. The man stopped his cry, unable to choke out any sounds as his windpipe was crushed, and Eren pressed his foot down even more until he heard the man’s neck snap.

 

By then, the officers had regained their weapons and they worked together to bring down the criminals, shooting to disable but not kill.

 

“It’s not much, but it was the least I could do for you.” Pixis’s voice snapped him out of his stupor. That’s right. He’d killed two men that day. But really, he couldn’t help but to feel fine with that. Those men were criminals, who knows what they had done? Hell, they’d probably killed people themselves. He’d saved those three officers, and that’s what mattered to him. He still had nightmares of the sickening cracking of their bones, but it was a small price to pay.

 

“Thank you, but how did you even know I was there?” Eren looks up to see the man smile at him with a light hearted wink.

 

“I have my ways. Now, eat up.” Looking down, Eren hadn’t even realised that his order had come. Probably while he’d been so lost in thought. Not being one to waste food, Eren dug into the sandwich in front of him, occasionally sipping the hot chocolate that accompanied it. It was a weird mix, but it was real food that would fill his empty stomach, so he wasn’t complaining. Looking up to continue talking with the man, he watched in shocked silence as the man pulled out a flask from his jacket discreetly, pouring the liquid into his coffee before taking a sip with a content sigh.

 

Eren sputtered at the man’s antics, Pixis starting to laugh merrily at Eren’s reaction.

 

It was a comforting atmosphere, there in the cafe, a nice contrast from the rest of his day. There was just something about the powerful man that calmed Eren’s nerves, made him feel just a little carefree, if only for a brief moment. After the entire incident of the drug bust all those years ago, Pixis had legally protected him since he was the one to protect his team, and they formed somewhat of an odd relationship. Every once in awhile, Pixis would take him out to lunch and they’d just talk.

 

The man was so carefree and light hearted, his witty nature making him somewhere easy to talk to. While Eren hated accepting things from others, hated pity, Pixis would usually just order him food anyways and tell him not to waste it. It was nice after he got over the small amount of guilt at having someone else have to buy something for him. He wants to be able to provide for himself, to handle things on his own terms.

 

_One day…_

 

Despite his earlier thoughts, despite knowing his life isn’t looking great, despite having no reason to feel this way, Eren was hopeful. He had to remain positive for fear of the alternate. It was easier to think this way when not staring death in the face in the form of a gun, and instead sitting contently in a warm cafe with a man he might regard as a sort of friend.

 

As they sat there and made small talk and laughed, Eren became aware that their time was coming to a close. As they finished their meals and even sat there sipping the rest of their drinks, Pixis finally sighed and began, “Well, I suppose I should be getting back.” Both standing, Eren followed the man out of the cafe and immediately shivered as the freezing air hit his skin, drawing goosebumps all over him. 

 

“Thank you again, Pixis. Although perhaps I deserve to still be there.” Truly, he really did. He was robbing people. It was illegal.

 

“No, I don’t believe you do.” Shocked Eren looked up at Pixis’s smiling face. “What you do is to survive, Eren. But I believe you’ll get back on your feet. You just have to have patience.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Of course! Now, I’ll be off. Have a good night, Eren.”

 

Smiling, Eren watched the man turn towards the station, most likely where his car was parked. “‘Night Pixis. See you soon?”

 

Not pausing in his stride, Pixis turned and gave him a toothy grin with a thumbs up before turning a corner and disappearing. Smiling sadly as he left, the empty feeling Eren usually felt rekindled. He never really realized how alone he was until he was in a situation where he wasn’t. 

 

Shaking off those thoughts, Eren turned and began walking in the direction of the park. He would go back to the fountain and get some rest, and then try again with applying for jobs tomorrow. Maybe he’d have better luck. As he walked, Eren suddenly came to halt as his eyes widened. Thinking back on his conversation with the man, he suddenly realized he hadn't stuttered even once. A small smile pulling at the corner of his lips, Eren found comfort in his small victory, taking a moment before starting pace again. That means he was getting better right?

 

Stuffing his hands in his jean pockets, he watched his breath fog in front of him as the sun set. It was getting colder, December stretching on as they got deeper into winter. Eren glanced sideways at a run down thrift store, seeing their countdown posted on their window front.

 

Three days until Christmas, huh? Shaking his head, Eren continued on as the day came to an end. Christmas was the same as any other day, this year would be no different. Those were his thoughts as he finally reached the familiar fountain and settled in, curling up into himself as he laid down on the cold ground. Tomorrow, he told himself. Tomorrow would be better.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I left a lot of hints in this chapter as to what the final reveal will be at the end... I hope no one notices! :)


	4. 10-8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren gets some more bad news but is determined to remain hopeful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. This is late, and it's short, but I've been so heckin busy that it's not even funny. I'll try harder next time, don't hate me. But hey! We got some plot progression people! And maybe things are starting to look up, who would have thought?

Growing up on the streets, surrounded by potential danger everywhere, you learn to be a light sleeper, waking at even the slightest noise and being ready to defend yourself. So Eren bolted straight up into a sitting position, arms up and ready to fight when something collided with his side.

 

“Oi, what the fuck are you doing brat?”

 

Blinking slowly up at the voice, Eren found himself thoroughly confused. What was the Officer- or, Captain rather, doing here? Looking, down, he found himself even more perplexed. A black coat was wrapped around his shoulder, half falling off of him from his sudden movement. Reaching a hand out to feel the jacket, he just now noticed that he wasn’t shivering as he usually was, a feeling he’d apparently gotten used to. The jacket was emanating heat, keeping him the warmest he’d been since summer all those months ago. And he knew exactly why that jacket looked so familiar to him.

 

It was the jacket he’d tried to steal from the Captain.

 

Pulling the jacket back over both his shoulder, Eren looked up at the man in question and just felt immense confusion at the man’s irritated face. “Hah…?”

 

Okay, so he was still half asleep, but he thought it summed up most of his questions for the man. He watched as the Captain rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed huff. “Get up brat, we’re going to the station.”

 

His eyebrows flying up as all dredges of sleep left him, Eren obliged the man, albeit warily. “A-am I being arrested? I mean, I thought- it’s a p-public park, so I just thought-“

 

“No, you’re not being arrested. And here.”

 

Reaching an arm out from underneath the heavy jacket, Eren took the white piece of cloth from the man’s hand. His eye bandage? Mouth falling open slightly, he regained his senses as he looked up at the Captain with a smile. “Ah, thank you- um, Captain Ackerman.” It was the only name he knew the previously nameless officer by until he’d heard Pixis talking to the officer yesterday. Bringing up the white patch, he covered his one yellow eye and pulled the strings around his ears, securing the bandage on his face.

 

It’s never a good thing to attract a lot of attention when you live on the streets, because it’s usually not the good kind. His eyes were something most considered unique and beautiful, something that everyone noticed and commented on when first meeting him. He used to think the same thing, but now it just attracted too much attention. So only a year after he became homeless, he began covering his more distinct eye, the one with a yellowish golden hue. After awhile, he just accepted the bandage as a part of him and stopped even noticing himself wearing it. His balance and depth perception had been quite awry for awhile, but that soon corrected itself too.

 

Looking back up that the Captain, he could almost see the question in his eyes. He wanted to know why he covered his eye. It’s not like it was a secret. It wouldn’t hurt his feelings if the man asked, not much would anymore. But the real question was, would the Captain ask?

 

Eren watched as the man opened his mouth, seeming to hesitate before saying, “Captain Levi is fine. Let’s go brat.”

 

So he didn’t ask. Was he trying not to offend Eren? Maybe he was just respecting his privacy. Or maybe he really just didn’t care. Shrugging, Eren followed behind the man as he turned and walked towards the street. Watching the man’s back and taking note of his button down shirt, Eren frowned.

 

“Ah, d-do you want your coat back? I’m used to- I’m fine without one.” Starting to pull off the only source of warmth he’d had in awhile, Eren only stopped at Captain Levi’s voice.

 

“I was too warm, so don’t be a little shit and hold onto it for me. You can give it back at the station.”

 

“But-“ When Captain Levi turned to glare at him, Eren snapped his jaw shut. It would probably be something akin to a death wish to argue with the short man, so instead he just huddled further into the fur lined piece of heaven and silently sighed. Well, he shouldn’t complain too much. The warmth was a welcome change to the usually piercing freeze that felt like it had settled all the way to his bones.

 

Eren was fine with silences. He lived most of his life in them, and when he didn’t, he was always severely uncomfortable trying to talk to anyone. It was the years of no social interaction that left him a stuttering, awkward mess whenever he was in any situation that required any interpersonal or communication skills in general. So when the Captain didn’t volunteer any conversation starters, Eren found he didn’t mind just listening to the sounds of their footsteps crunching in the ice slicked snow as they made their way over to the street.

 

Despite his contentment with the silence, Eren couldn’t help but to wonder why he was going back to the station. Was he needed for another interview? Captain Levi said he wasn’t being arrested, but should he ask to call Pixis? Not that he knew the man’s number, but he was sure someone could find it for him.

 

But in the end, Eren couldn’t find it in him to speak up. The words were trapped on his tongue, his mouth unable to open, his brain refused to actually speak his questions out loud. It was frustrating, but he was used to it by now. Instead, he just let himself silently be lead to a black car that just screamed‘police officer’. Eren was never good with cars, never really cared about them one way or the other as long as it could get you from point A to point B, so he had no idea what kind of car it was. He saw the emblem on the back, but the weird plus sign didn’t mean anything to him. He knew the names of some brands, Chevy, Ford, Suburu, but it was all lost on him.

 

He watched as Captain Levi pulled out his keys and clicked a button, the car unlocking itself with a click as the black haired man pulled open the drivers side door before stopping. His eyes, which sat just above the roof of the car, stared at him with an unreadable look in those silver iris’s.

 

“What are you waiting for brat, a formal invitation? Get in.”

 

Eyes widening, Eren felt a blush rise to his cheeks that had nothing to do with the cold. Pulling himself out of his head, he nodded before reaching out and pulling open the passenger side door. As soon as he sat down and closed the door, he realised with sudden embarrassment that the interior of the car was sparkling clean. It still had its new car smell, though the exterior proved it had been around for at least a year. And Eren was really really dirty.

 

Drawing his feet in close to himself and resting his hands in his lap, he kept his burning face towards his feet as he heard Captain Levi close his own door. He probably smelled too. After awhile you stop smelling it yourself, but there’s no way he didn’t reek. He hadn’t changed his clothes in at least two months, hadn’t bathed or showered in about as long. He knew it was gross, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. So instead, he just kept quiet and internally berated himself for something out of his control. 

 

One silent car ride later, they pulled into the station, Captain Levi stepping out first. Throwing open the door, eager to get out of the confined space, Eren stepped out into the winter chill, somehow feeling worse after being in a heated car for the past ten minutes. Hurrying after a surprisingly quick Captain, Eren caught up to the man just in time to catch the opened door and trail on Captain Levi’s heels as they quickly walked through the halls.

 

“Why are you trailing me like a lost puppy? At least walk beside me so I don’t feel like a fucking mother hen.” Captain Levi glared over his shoulder as Eren stuttered out a quick reply of, “O-oh, okay, uh s-sorry, yeah, s-sure.” Before fastening his pace to walk only a half step behind the man on his left.

 

No more words exchanged, they reached the end of a narrow hall as Captain Levi ignored the courtesy of knocking and barraged right into the room at the end. Unsure of what was lying ahead, Eren could do nothing except follow hesitantly. As soon as he was in the room, the door closed behind him. Jumping, he looked back to see Captain Levi closing the door before circling around and leaning against a large wooden desk on the other side of the room. An occupied wooden desk actually. Looking closer, Eren say a small name plaque with the name "Commander Erwin Smith", carved into it. Eyes widening, Eren looked up with his visible eye to see a muscled man with slicked back blonde hair. But that wasn't the most intimidating part. No, that would be the man's enormous eyebrows. Seriously, those things took up most of his face! 

 

“Ah, Eren. How nice of you to join us. Please, take a seat.” The Commander gestured to the single wooden chair seated opposite the desk. Still confused as to what was happening but not willing to go against the Commander, Eren just nodded and carefully took a seat in the wildly uncomfortable wooden chair. Sitting there, Eren realised just how terrifyingly intimidating the two men staring at him were. Just the aura they radiating was enough to put every one of Eren’s hair on end.

 

“So, I would like to know what your thoughts are on the situation.” Confused, Eren tilted his head slightly at the Commanders words. Situation? Was there a situation? Was he missing something?

 

“I’m s-sorry Co-Commander, er- sir, I don’t th-think, I mean, wh-what situation…?” Damn him and his stuttering.

 

Sighing, the Commander pinched the bridge of his nose before sparing a glance at the Captain who had his arms crossed, hip gutted out and leaning against the wooden desk as he watched Eren with a scowl. “So he didn’t explain anything?” After realising the man was talking to him, Eren shook his head, prompting the man to continue as he ignored the black haired man’s glare. “Well then, allow me to start at the beginning.”

 

“The man from yesterday’s incident, do you remember him? Well, as it turns out, he’s from one of the most deadly gangs in all of the Rose territory. You may have heard of them, the Titans. Not a single one of their members have ever been caught or held accountable for their actions, despite law enforcement believing them having committed anything from petty robbery to rape and murder. Now the problem is, you saw one of their members pulling out a gun on you, even if it was in self defence, they probably don’t like that too much. You’re a loose end to them, and they always make sure to take care of loose ends.”

 

Eyebrows raised in shock, Eren looked between the Captain and Commander, hoping to see some inkling that he was being lied to. He couldn’t find one. “W-wait, what? T-that’s not- No way! You- you’re joking, r-right?” At the men’s silence, Eren drew his eyebrows together in concern. “Well… Well w-what do I d-do?”

 

Straightening up in his seat, the Commander gave Eren a stern look. “Luckily, we have a plan to keep you safe. From now on, you’ll be assigned a personal police officer and placed under a protective order. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until we have successfully apprehended the culprit or culprits. And before you refuse, secure housing and other essentials will be provided for the duration of your protection as your freedom will have to become limited.”

 

Eren could only stare at the man in awed silence. He couldn’t be serious. Him, a grubby street rat who this man only knew as a criminal that escaped his law abiding hands, being protected by a personally assigned officer? Impossible. His life was insignificant. It didn’t matter to this man whether he lived or died, it couldn’t. So why-

 

“Oh.” Contrary to popular opinion, Eren wasn’t stupid. He could be a bit slow on the uptake on occasion, and maybe he was a bit dense when it came to social interaction, but he wasn’t dumb enough to believe this man’s seemingly heroically good intentions even if he was the Commander. “You want to keep me around to lure out the Titans.” If he wasn’t so focused on his revelation, Eren might have noticed the raised eyebrows the Captain shot him. He might have even realised he’d spoken the entire sentence without stuttering. But no, he would never realise the shock he caused the stoic man.

 

The Commander's honestly terrifyingly big eyebrows drew together at his statement. “Well I won’t deny that this does play a part in my decision-“

 

“Fine, I-I’ll do it.”

 

If the Commander was at all surprised by this, it didn’t show. The man simply stared back at Eren for a few beats, letting the tense silence consume the room before nodding. It was another not so well known fact about him, but Eren did truly have an impeccable sense of justice. It seemed ironic given what he did on a daily basis, but that was only what was deemed necessary to survive. Honestly, if he could help play a part in the arrest of a rapist, of a murder, then he would gladly act as bait. It was the same reason he threw his life in harms way when he killed those man to help Pixis’s team. His life was meaningless, a life that didn’t matter, that wouldn’t be missed. He would risk his forgettable life to save those that were innocent, those that mattered, those that had loved ones who would miss them.

 

Eren wanted what was best for Humanity, to protect them from the evils that inhabited this world. If this could save people, he would accept this predicament in a heartbeat. While it couldn’t correct his wrongdoings, it could at least help people in the future. Maybe that would be enough.

 

“Alright. Now, I have a few papers for you to sign, but that can wait. For now, I’d like you to get to know your protective officer, although I believe you’ve already met him.”

 

Huh? Already met him? Eren’s mind raced through the few officers he’d met in the past few days. Maybe it was Officer Schultz? That wouldn’t be so bad. Actually, that might be nice. Before his mind could come up with any other alternatives, the Commander continued.

 

“Eren, I’d like you to meet Captain Levi Ackerman. Starting today, he will be your guard. You two can work out all the…”

 

He didn’t hear anything after the man’s first sentence. Eren’s visible eye immediately found said Captain’s silver ones that were already staring at him, and suddenly, Eren found himself internally panicking. The Captain? He was going to have to be protected, 24/7 by the very man who he tried to rob, who arrested him? No, no, no, no. This cannot be happening. Can’t he just go back to sleeping beside his fountain out in the cold, blissfully unaware of the existence of the Titans? That seemed much more preferable to being babysat all day by the physical embodiment of terrifying, everyday for fuck only knows how long.

 

“Oi.” The Captain’s voice brought Eren from his musings, only to see the irate face of his now bodyguard. “If you’re done staring, I’d like to get on with my day.”  

 

Cheeks flushing, Eren didn’t even attempt to stutter a response as he simply nodded and lowered his gaze to the floor, following in the shorter man’s steps out the door without another word from the Commander. As they began walking through the hall, the Captain sighed. “What did I tell you about walking behind me, brat?”

 

Looking up at the man to see he was glancing over his shoulder at him, Eren felt his heart unexplainably skip a beat as he quickened his steps to fall slightly behind the imposing man yet again. “S-sorry si- uh, Captain Ackerman.” Turning a corner they stopped in front a wooden door to the left as the Captain walked in, Eren on his heels. Closing the door behind them, Eren turned to take in his surroundings.

 

It was smaller than the Commander's office, but he guessed that it was still larger than the other offices in the station. One lone wooden desk sat on the far side of the room, pulled just far enough from the wall to comfortably sit a large rolly desk chair. Two neat stacks of paper adorned opposite corners of the uncluttered desk, neat filing cabinets sitting off to one side of the room. A coat rack sat by the door, along with a small table. Besides a few other insignificant details, that was it. Just an impersonal, bleak office.

 

And for some reason, it just screamed Captain Ackerman.

 

“T-this is your o-office.” It wasn’t a question, just an opening in case the Captain wanted to start a conversation.

 

“Obviously.”

 

Okay, so he didn’t want to talk. He really should have guessed that. Not quite sure what to do, or quite sure what they were even doing in the man’s office, Eren simply shuffled silently on his feet as the Captain made his way around the desk, sitting in his chair as he pulled out a small stack of papers from one of the drawers on his desk before setting it down to his right. “That’s the paperwork you need to fill out for this shitty protection order. I have other work I have to get done, so I don’t have time to hold your hand through it.” And with that, the Captain grabbed some papers from his right hand stack and grabbed a pen from the drawer, getting to work on his own paperwork.

 

Awkwardly, Eren shuffled over to the desk and grabbed the papers the Captain had set there for him, as well as a pen that had been placed atop the blank forms. Looking down, Eren realised he didn’t even know half of the legal jargon that adorned the first page, his face scrunching up in confusion. Well, he could probably figure it out. Looking around the room once more, he made his way towards the corner of the room and sat himself on the floor, not finding any other seats, and hunched himself over, starting with the first requested signature. He didn’t actually have a signature, so he just scribbled some swoopy lines that might have looked like his name if you squinted your eyes.

 

“What the fuck are you doing?”

 

Shocked, Eren jolted his head up to stare wide eyed at the Captain that sat at his desk, glaring over at him. What did he do? He didn’t make or a mess or anything, did he? “U-Um, do-doing the- I-I’m doing the p-paperwork you gave m-me?”

 

Eren could only watch in befuddlement as the man scowled further, eyebrows lowering dangerously. It was terrifying being on the receiving end of such anger, and Eren decided right then and there to avoid a similar incident at any costs. Although, he didn’t know what he’d done to receive such a glower.

 

“No you fucking shithead, I meant why the fuck are you sitting in the fucking corner like a kid in timeout?”

 

Wait, what? The Captain was mad… because he sat down on the floor? “Uh, w-well their were n-no more seats, s-so I j-just, u-um…” Eren watched as the man sighed, as if tired of dealing with a toddler, and stood up without a word, leaving the room completely. Eren was about to get up and look for the man to apologise when he walked back in, cheap desk chair in tow. The Captain closed the door behind him and sat the chair beside his own behind the desk, albeit a few feet away from his. He then looked up and met Eren’s uncovered eye.

 

“There.” The Captain, without another word, just sat back down in his chair and resumed his writings. Still baffled, Eren gathered up his papers absent mindedly and scurried over to the now spare chair and sat down. He carefully laid out his papers, avoiding the man’s neat stacks, somewhat scared of what might happen if he accidentally knocked into one. As Eren picked up his pen, his eyes found the cuff of the black jacket that still was wrapped around him in a warm blanket. This man, Captain Ackerman, he was a good man, wasn’t he? He might be cold and gruff on the outside, his words cutting sharp as steel, but his actions showed someone else. A man who was warm and caring with a strong sense of justice. Eren couldn’t help the small smile that made its way to his face as he sneaked a quick glance at the man who sat by his side.

 

They might have had a rough start, but Eren was excited to learn more about this contradicting man. For some reason, Eren wanted to know this man, Captain Levi Ackerman. For some reason, this man made the pain of his past, the despair of his present, fade into something bearble. Why? Eren had no clue, but he would be damned if he wasn’t going to find out.


	5. 10-23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren gets his first taste of how this whole protection is going to be, and Levi has a crisis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter? I'm still alive?! Actually, funny story. I wasn't sure when I was going to post again, but I just so happened to get a comment today from PlushieBTSNerd about how I would never post again, and because I'm a spiteful person, I just spent the past 4 hours sitting here writing. (I'm just kidding, I'm really happy you guys want me to continue still!) So here's to you PlushieBTSNerd. Hah, proved you wrong. :) Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY EREN! My 20th birthday was just yesterday, aha.

“Okay brat, that’s enough.”

 

Looking up, Eren brought a hand up to his stiff neck. It wasn’t anything new, in fact, it was a familiar feeling what with sleeping on stone for the past ten years. He craned his neck to look up at the standing Police Captain who began stretching above his head before pushing in his chair. Silver eyes suddenly met his own green eye, jolting Eren from his staring. Confused with himself, he followed the shorter mans example and stood, ignoring the stiff muscles and joints he was accustomed to. 

 

As Eren contemplated what to do with the spare chair given to him, he failed to notice the gaze that still bore into him until he brought his gaze back up to voice his uncertainty. “U-um, Captain L-Levi-“

 

His voice stuck in his throat as Eren brought his gaze up to see those eyes already meeting his. Levi had been staring at him. Did he have something on his face? His hand coming up to swipe at his forehead slightly, he jumped slightly at the deep voice that replied. “Let’s go brat.”

 

Eyebrows raising, Eren watched as Captain Levi stuffed a few papers into a black messenger bag before slinging it over his shoulder, turning to make for the door. Overwhelmed by the suddenness of the man’s retreat, Eren frantically looked between his completed paperwork, his borrowed chair, and the retreating back of Captain Levi. What was he supposed to do?!

 

“Did you forget how to use your legs? Because I’m not carrying you.” Eren looked up to see Captain Levi paused in the doorway, looking over his shoulder back at Eren in poorly contained annoyance. 

 

Familiar nerves returned like an electrical shock and Eren found himself again unable to meet the Captains intense gaze. “Uh, no. I-It’s just, um, what s-should I do with my paperwork a-and the chair?” It felt stupid to be so nervous asking just a simple question, having a simple conversation, but there wasn’t anything he could do to calm down. It had been years, half his life, of silence. Years of not speaking to anybody. To a developing kid, it was actually pretty damaging to his social skills. He knew this wasn’t something that was just going to go away.

 

“Leave it. You’ll need somewhere to sit tomorrow, and Erwin can wait until the morning to get the paperwork.” Looking up with his head tilted in confusion, Eren furrowed his eyebrows as he started after the Captain. 

 

“Tomorrow? I-I’m coming b-back here again tomorrow?”

 

Watching the man roll his eyes, Captain Levi explained in a tired drawl, “24 hour a day surveillance 7 days a week. That means you’ll be coming with me to work seeming as you don’t work anywhere.”

 

“Oh.” It wasn’t meant as an insult, he knew that, but it kind of hurt when he phrased it like that. Eren’s eyes stayed locked on the floor as he walked just behind the Captain out to his parked car. Taking a seat in the passenger side, Eren found his thoughts drifting to the past few hectic days as Levi started up the car and began backing out. A week ago he’d been on his usual routine. Steal, sit out in the cold for hours, spend every waking hour hating his life, repeat. Now, he’d been beat up by the man that was now his personal guard, almost been murdered for robbing someone, been rescued and then thrown in jail by the same man that beat him up, reconnected with the man he helped by killing two men, been assigned previously mentioned bodyguard, and now is going to temporarily live in an actual building.

 

What a week it has been.

 

“Your lawyer, Dot Pixis, how in the hell did you manage that?”

 

Drawn from his thoughts, Eren glanced over at the police captain. He didn’t seem angry like Eren thought might be the case, but more… curious? He figured he’d be pissed since Pixis had basically taken a criminal right from his interrogation room. Looking out the windshield at the blur of trees passing, Eren gathered his thoughts before he answered. What should he say, and what should he keep to himself? Should he lie?

 

“I ended up h-helping him out a few y-years ago. He, uh, says this is him re-repaying me.” As long as he didn’t mention exactly how he helped Pixis, then it wasn’t a lie at all. 

 

There was a brief stretch of silence before the shorter man replied. “Interesting.” Looking over in silent wonder, Eren couldn’t help but to frown at the man’s response. There was no way the man just accepted that answer. Maybe he really didn’t care and was trying to make small talk? For some reason, he really doubted that, so he couldn’t help but to wonder why. Honestly, he figured the man would probably do his own research, being a police captain.

 

Captain Levi was a hard man to read.

 

The rest of the car ride was passed in comfortable silence, Levi with his eyes trained on the road, Eren with his gaze drifting at the passing scenery. Eren’s thoughts were swirling, but he knew it was probably best not to dwell on this new turn of events in his life. He knew he’d either die from being used as bait, or he’d help catch the gang members and then be right back where he started, on the streets.

 

Pulling up to an unassuming apartment building, Levi parked an immediately swung the door open, climbing out. Meanwhile, Eren sat still, looking up at the towering building with something akin to awe. The building was huge! It reminded him of those buildings in movies where the main character lived on the top floor in a penthouse. It must have been at least 10 stories, maybe 15. From the parking lot, Eren looked to the front to see a worn iron gate in front of the entrance.

 

Eren sat there until a knock on the car window made him jump, eyes darting to where Captain Levi stood glaring at him, mouthing the words, “Let’s go brat.”

 

Scurrying to clamor his way out of the car, Eren closed the car door behind him and again trailed behind the police Captain. Honestly, going into nice places made him feel anxious and incredibly out of place, and he ended up reverting to trying to hide behind Captain Ackerman in some sort of unconscious protective measure. Damn him and his social phobia.

 

Silently making his way to the elevator, (this place had a goddamn elevator in it!), they made their way up to the 10th floor, stepping off the elevator and immediately going to the second door on the right. Apartment 104. Odd numbering system, but then again, Eren had no idea if that’s how apartments were usually numbered, so it could be completely normal.

 

Door unlocked, Captain Ackerman swung open the door and looked behind him as he stepped through the doorway. “Welcome to my shithole. Don’t make yourself at home and don’t make a mess.” With that, the shorter man disappeared inside, leaving Eren hesitating at the open door. After a few seconds, he forced his legs to move, tentatively stepping inside the foreign apartment, only to stop just inside.

 

Eren felt his jaw drop as he looked around the quaint sized living area. To his right was a living room, a brown leather couch facing the opposite wall with a tv secured to it, a glass entertainment center below it. A matching glass coffee table sat in between, little else confining the open space beside a green leafy plant sitting in the corner on the hardwood flooring. To his left was a faux granite countertop separating the kitchen from the living space. All the silver appliances looked new, pairing well with the dark wood cabinets. Straight ahead looked to be a hallway with two doors on the left, one on the right. 

 

On top of all of that, the entire place seemed to be absolutely sparkling with a sheen of pristine cleanliness. And here he was, a dirty street rat. 

 

“If you’re done gaping like a goddamn fish, your rooms right here.” Eren looked over to where Captain Ackerman stood at the first door on the right, opening the door and raising a brow expectantly. Snapping his jaw shut, but eyes just as wide, he stiffly made his way over to the captain, trying his best not to touch anything. He’d never felt quite so out of place in his life. 

 

As he rounded the corner, he again found himself in awe at not only the cleanliness of the room, but with how it almost looked like art. Untouched, pristine. The full sized bed sat against the far wall adorned with a cream colored comforter and white sheets, a pastel tanned dresser pushed against the wall to the right and a matching obscure shelf against the wall that the door was on. Was the whole apartment done in shades and neutrals?

 

He had almost forgotten about the man to his left, jumping a bit when he suddenly spoke. “This is where you’ll be staying. Like I said, don’t fucking make a mess. The bathroom is across the hall and you saw the kitchen and living room. I don’t really care what you do here, but don’t even think about leaving by yourself. You’re under 24/7 protection which means you’re stuck with me. Got it?”

 

Nodding over at the man, Eren watched as he sighed for what must have been the hundredth time that day, scratching the back of his. “Good. Now fuck off and take a shower, I’m gonna go make dinner. The dresser is empty for your-”

 

Eren could tell the exact moment that the captain realized his mistake, cutting himself off as he looked over at Eren and his lack of any belongings. Embarrassed, Eren just reached up and scratched the back of his head, fighting off the overwhelming urge to apologize for no reason. Before he could mumble any words out, Captain Ackerman was turned around and walking further down the hall, throwing a quick, “Just go shower,” over his shoulder before he disappeared into what must have been his bedroom at the end of the hall. 

 

Pausing for a few seconds, Eren just mentally shook his head at himself and went into the room across the hall, finding himself yet again marvelling at the cleanliness of yet another room. Even the bathroom was sparkling! Quickly forgetting his embarrassment, Eren suddenly started to get excited. A real shower, with actual hot water!  Smiling, he threw off his shirt, and just as he was pulling off his pants, he caught a glimpse of himself in the wide mirror above the bathroom sink. Pausing momentarily, he started at his own reflection. He looked… rough.

 

His hair had started to grow long, not quite at his shoulder, but a greasy untamed mess nonetheless. While he was twenty, for some reason he didn’t grow much facial hair, but there was definitely a semblance of a 5 o’clock shadow on his face. Reaching up, he pulled off his eye bandage, throwing it on the open space on the countertop. He had dark bags under both eyes, but he looked past that as two different eyes stared back at him.

 

His yellow, golden eye. It reminded him of his mother. At the memory, he smiled slightly. He remembered her eyes, a light, almost yellow hazel color. No, they weren’t the same color, but that wasn’t why it reminded him of her. He remembered his mom loved his eyes. She used to say it Eren was the light of his life, and his eye was the proof. It was a really bad joke, but he used to love hearing her say that. Eren himself used to love his eyes. The golden half to represent his mom, and his green one that match… his dad.

 

Yeah, he used to love his eyes.

 

It pained him that the eye he covered was his golden one, that the one everyone saw was his green. It was the same color as his dad’s eyes. He looked at his reflection, at his eye, and he saw his father in that eyes. He frowned and forced himself to look away, continuing to undress. If he didn’t live on the streets, if he didn’t have to worry about gaining negative attention, he could proudly show his golden eye. But it was too different. 

 

Turning around, he turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up. Glancing back at the mirror, a thought struck him. At least temporarily, he wasn’t living on the streets, but in a gated apartment complex with a police captain. Maybe… shaking his head, he stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash over him, taking all those thought with it as he sighed contently. Not wearing his bandage would just complicate things, would get him used to not wearing it. Eventually he’d be back in the streets, so might as well just continue on as he had been.

 

He cleared his mind as he turned his attention on the steaming shower. How long had it been? He welcomed the hot prickle of his skin as the hot water ran down him, warming the deep chill that had settled in his bones for years. This had to be the best he felt since before he was homeless. Some people severely took a hot shower for granted. For just a few minutes, he just stood under the spray, letting it hit his back. Sighing again, he opened his eyes, not quite remembering when he closed them, and looked over at all the products on the wire shelf.

 

Brows furrowing, he picked up two of the bottles in confusion, glancing in between the two. What the hell was the difference between body wash and body scrub? Looking back up at the shelves, he found himself seriously dumbfounded at how one man could have so many different bottles of soap. They all basically did the same thing, right? There must have been at least seven bottles of different products! Captain Ackerman lives, alone!

 

...right?

 

Suddenly, a new wave of panic flooded him. What if the captain was in a relationship, or was even married? Not only would he have to stay with the Captain, which was already very awkward, but he’d have to live with another stranger. Live with a married couple. 

 

Fuck, he didn’t think about it before. 

 

Oh, if there were two people living here, they’d each have a toothbrush! With that idea in mind, he pulled back the shower curtain to glance over at the sink, only for his heart to sink. There were two toothbrushes. Shit.

 

The rest of his shower was a stress filled one. Who was this other person? Was she nice? Was she like the captain, or was it a deal of opposites attracting? All these thoughts flooded his head as he washed all of himself with just the one bottle of shampoo he found, finally working up to turn off the godly spray of scalding water. He went over and grabbed an off white towel from the stack, wrapping and tying it around his hips as he stood in front of the counter. He looked over at his dirty clothes and began to dread putting them back on when something else distracted him.

 

A shaving razor sat on the shallow shelf above the sink, right next to a small container of shaving cream. Looking back up at his scruffy face, he mentally apologized to the Captain for using his razor and picked up the can of foam, spreading it all over his chin. 

 

Five minutes later had him washing off the remnants of drying white foam off his face, using the edge of his towel to pat his face dry. He already looked less scruffy. He ran a hand through his wet, tangled hair and began to look around for something to tie up his hair with. Only finding a rubber band in the medicine cabinet, he called that good enough and threw his hair up in a messy bun. Now the messy hair almost looked intentional, a few wet strands falling out to frame his face. Snorting to himself, he began to turn towards where his clothes sat when there was a knock on the door, the knob turning before he could even think about replying.

 

“Here shitty brat, you can just wear these instead of putting on those disgusti- oh.”

 

Eren turned around to see the captain in the doorway, holding a bundle of clothes in one hand with his other still on the door knob, frozen in place as he stared right at Eren with an expression he hadn’t seen on the older man. Eren could only stare back with wide eyes as the captain stood there, his eyes as wide as he’d ever seen them, face carefully blank as his eyes went from Eren’s face and began to trail down only to trail right back up to Eren’s face after a few seconds. 

 

It took almost a full ten seconds before Eren regained enough of his senses to realized this was incredibly embarrassing. His cheeks suddenly flared to life in a burst of red as he rushed over to the door, the captain just standing there the whole time. Scrambling, He grabbed the pile of clothes from the other man’s slack hands and practically squeaked a panicked, “T-Thank you!” before he all but slammed the door shut.

 

Eren leaned there, back against the door with the pile of clothes in his hands, face dusted with bright pink, looking down at himself. What the hell kind of reaction was that?! Mind running, he almost missed the knock on the door, this time it staying closed. “Y-es?” he called out tentatively, trying to make it sound like he wasn’t panicking but failing miserably.

 

“Dinner’s ready. Get your ass out here already.” With that, footsteps disappeared down the hall, leaving Eren alone with his thoughts. His brain tried to contemplate the captains roaming gaze, tried to gauge Captain Ackerman’s thoughts, but he gave up just a quickly as he’d started. It was useless. Eren had gotten good at reading people, but he just couldn’t tell anything when it came to Police Captain Levi Ackerman.

 

Shaking his head, trying to rid himself of his spirling thoughts, Eren looked back down to the clothes in his hand, and then down at himself covered in only a towel. How embarrassing. Sighing, Eren straightened up, looked at himself in the mirror, gave a quick slap to his cheeks, and started getting the fuck dressed. He had no time for those kind of thoughts.

* * *

 

 

Leaning against the counter, his hand came up and covered his mouth, his eyes wide with shock at his own thoughts. What the actual hell was wrong with him? His mind betrayed him and proceeded to conjure up thoughts of only just a few moments ago. Squeezing his eyes shut, he lowly growled at his own self. God, he was fucking going to hell.

 

But his mind was apparently fine with him going to hell because his mind kept replaying the same thing. Levi, opening the door to a truly unholy sight. Eren, standing in only a towel slung low on his hips, hair wet and tied back, clean shaven, both eyes staring back at him in shock. Fuck, he had no idea that’s what the brat looked like under all that grime.

 

Biting his tongue in some kind of self punishment, he decided he had enough self control to never think about that again. This was a kid ten years younger than him, a key person in bringing down one of the most infamous gangs of their time, a homeless orphan who couldn’t even say a goddamn three word sentence without stuttering. He was a damaged brat with a shit ton of baggage. And he was ten years younger than him. That’s not even mentioning how wrong it would be to try anything with the kid he was guarding professionally, who was more than mentally damaged by the shit he’d gone through.

 

Just as he was absentmindedly filling up two plates worth of food, he heard the bathroom door open. Levi apparently had much less self control than he’d thought, because he couldn’t stop himself from looking over at the shitty brat as he walked into the kitchen, and fuck, he wished he had more self control.

 

He watched in silent agony as Eren scratched at the back of his, an apparent anxious tick he’d developed. “Uh.. th-thank you for the- uh, c-clothes.” He had no idea why Eren was thanking him, because there was no way those clothes fit him. The black pair of joggers he’d given him were Erwins that he’d left there on accident one day after they’d worked out together (big mistake, never happened again), so they were pretty baggy on the kid. The long sleeve he wore was one of Levi’s old one’s from when he was in the academy. A dark grey one with his academy’s name printed on the shirt pocket, and it was a bit small on the kid, hugging his boney frame (Levi would have to fix that with his cooking).

 

Levi looked over at the shitty brat, only one thought crossing his mind while he forced his eyes away.

 

Yeah, he was definitely going to hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a thirsty thot for comments. Lemme know what you thought, and any guesses as to what's next! Thanks for sticking around even though I haven't posted in 5000 years! P.S. I haven't proof read yet, but I need a break so I can come back with a fresh pair of eyes to catch my mistakes, but I really wan to post it today for all reasons listed above, so bear with me!


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